a lasting impression

The Florida Marlins-Houston Astros game was the feature on MLB Network today, and watching it gave rise to a few observations. First of all, Lance Berkman has clearly established himself as the best position player to emerge from the 25 years of Double-A baseball played at Smith-Wills Stadium. The Astros’ switch-hitting first baseman, the last Jackson General still with Houston, hit a pair of home runs today and also made a sparkling play in the field. He is ready to go. Over 10 big league seasons, Berkman is batting .302 with 288 home runs. In six of his eight full seasons with the Astros, he has topped 100 RBIs. No other former Jackson Met or General has approached this kind of consistent production. Not Lee Mazzilli, Mookie Wilson, Darryl Strawberry, Lenny Dykstra, Bobby Abreu. No one. If you were to pick an All-Jackson Double-A team today, Berkman would be the No. 1 choice. Beyond that, Berkman is a stand-up guy, a good teammate who is good with fans and media. He was like that when he was here and hasn’t changed.
A few other things of note from today’s game: Former Ole Miss star Chris Coghlan will soon be the everyday second baseman for the Florida Marlins. Probably not this year, but next for sure. He can play. He hit an inside-the-park homer today and had two other hits. … Vicksburg’s Taylor Tanklersley, once a reliable lefty reliever for the Marlins, doesn’t look like he’s going to make the big league club. He pitched today and was knocked around for 4 hits and 4 runs. He is 0-3 with a 20.25 ERA this spring. … Former Meridian CC star Jason Smith, the much-traveled veteran utility guy, looks like a lock to make the Astros as a non-roster invitee. That’s not easy to do.